Friday, September 11, 2009

And the whole world has to answer right now, who's bad?

Ok, so the reason for the title is thus: There is this little kid named Emmanuel who is four. He is about two feet tall and he is just the funniest thing ever. Anyway he dances just like Michael Jackson, and that is his nickname. We had FHE with his family, mom, dad, grandma, old woman neighbor, two older brothers (Andres, 13 and Alex, 9 (I teach him piano lessons)) and older brother's friend and the non-member tennent and then the two missionaries, and for the activity he danced for us. Now, imagine a little latino boy, two feet tall, with all the spunk in the world, dancing to Beat It and Bad, just like Michael jackson. It was the best FHE ever. The mom apologized for the craziness of the family. I said it brough me back to my home, and therefore there was nothing better in the whole world. when emman, that is his nickname, finished dancing for me, he sat down beside me. he then whispered that Step Up Two was his favorite movie. i told him it was mine too and then we proceeded to have a discussion about the coolest dance moves ever and then he did the moon walk. it was the best day ever. plus, i got to listen to something with a beat and not feel too guilty about it. This family is my favorite family. They are so amazing and fun. They just moved in from Utah and they are so cool. We are trying to build good relations with the members so that they will give us referrals or go out on exchanges with us or anything because without the members we do not get as much done. We need the members. So, i have adopted a few families for my own. there is a family full of teenage girls that i have bonded with-jenifer, ashly, and alison. Fun little girls who love to make fun of my spanish, which i recognize is very comical.

some of my investigators...

1. Omar Columga is getting baptized on Sunday! Yay! He is the first person I ever taught in the mission and he is getting baptized. He tried to drop us a few times, but I feel like I was supposed to be the missionary to teach him because we seem to have a lot of the same type of trials. So, he not only could never drop us, but he is getting baptized!!! He is such a sweet kid. He even said that he wants to go on a mission. My jaw dropped when I heard that because all I could remember was our few appointments where he said that he didn't want to be Mormon. He went to the single's branch and loved it, saying that everyone was very nice and he really liked it. On Sunday he reminded me that he really really wanted to still go on a mission and go to the temple. Ok, we can do that! What a special treat to witness this young man's 180 degree turn around. His prayers are specific, he receives definate answers to his prayers from the Spirit, witnessing that what we are telling him is true, and he really can not wait to serve the Lord. COOL!!!

funny story. Well, i took an investigator to the single's branch, (in miami beach!!! the chapel is right on the water overlooking yachts and the cool downtown buildings and everything, i will send pictures, i have to because it was unbelievable!) on a fast and testimony meeting-dangerous. but it was so entertaining. there was this mentally handicapped guy, who is 40 or so, who was a walk-in last week but as he was walking up the stairs and got hurt pretty bad. some of the members of the single's branch gave him a blessing and so he came to church on sunday. he got up to bear his testimony and told of his blessing. he pulled on his eye and said that his black eye was gone "my lip got cut, and it is still cut, but it doesn't hurt that much. and today i went to another church, the Calvary Chapel and I had some Cuban coffee. it hurt my stomach and i got really dizzy. I'm glad that is over!" it was really funny because no one knew who he was. Then in sunday school he sat in the front row. we were talking about the martyrdom of the prophet and he simply asked "who is that? Because i don't know anything and these two missionaries are going to come by my house and tell me everything and i want to know now." someone told him about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. he then esponded "Wow, i can't wait to read this book. i'm on fire!" then, as the lesson continued, someone said that they love the book of mormon because it answers all of their questions. His hand flew up and he asked "excuse me, but how does this book do that?" when the question was answered, he responded "Oh, this is a good book, i can't wait to be baptized! but, my mom said that once i am a mormon i can't go to any other church, can i go to other churches?" the teacher said that you always have your free agency but he would only want to come to our church because it was the only true church. "How is it true? and how do you know?" the teacher told him it is the same church that Christ established when he was one the earth. "That's amazing!!!" omar turned to me and he is getting baptized on sunday!!!!

2. The Rivas family accepted a date as a family last week, but did not show up to church. We have tried to get a hold of them and visit them, but we can not get into contact with them. It is so disheartening to see this in such a young and special family, I don't know what's going on in their lives, but they need to come to church and partake fully of the blessings that baptism and the Atonement offer all of us.

3. We were teaching this man named Alberto. He came to a ward FHE and loved the people. But, when we went to visit him on Saturday he gave us the drop talk! I couldn't believe it. He was progressing, he had a baptisimal date and he was set to go, but then all of sudden he was telling us that he doesn't trust us and that he is looking for the truth. It broke my heart because THIS CHURCH IS THE TRUE CHURCH!!! but, the Spirit was not their in that session because of what he was saying, and he was kinda rude to our member present. Maybe one day I will know what is really going on in his life, but for now I am really confused and sad that he rejected the truth that he so despeartely is searching for.

4. We met this other family, the Expositos, they are pretty promising, but they lead very busy lives, so it might be hard to teach them. But I know they felt the Spirit when we taught them about the First Vision and the need for a Restoration.

5. Our investigator pool is looking a little dry. We have been going through all of our contacted people and checked up on them, trying to find those escogidos, but rejection is becoming the common thing in our searching. That's ok, we're looking for those who are ready to listen to our message and change. the others who reject us, vehemently even, are having seeds planted. Sometimes it is hard to see so much rejection. But, as Omar said it, "If this is the true Church why are there not more members? Or why do so many people hate Mormons?" The answer that I gave him was that because it is true, Satan fights really hard. That doesn't stop us, it just shows that we have to work harder. He liked that answer, and he still wants to go on a mission. And I don't blame him. Though there are doors slammed, or angry, hateful words spoken towards us, there is no better job or calling in all the world! The Lord has allowed me to see the joy in the work though the fruits of our labor are not always evident.

Ok, those are my thoughts, there are a lot of them.Love love loveHermana Barros

ps, the pictures, if you get them are as follows. A picture of Sister cCane and I with omar right outside of the chapel on our fun adventure to Miami beach to go to a single's ward as missionaries. fun times. ok, funny fact--sister crane and i were in the same ward at BYUI and we know a lot of the same people. she is sooooo fun and i love having her here for a few weeks because sister Fiala is doing a mission tour and sister crane is filling in for her. we have had so much fun. like eating crepes at a cool little crepe shop here in town. the picture is of my and my companion eating our crepes full of meat and chees. we did it in honor of proslelyting monday (because it was a holiday we had p-day today instead of yesterday). then there is another picture of...Omar standing in front of the chapel showing you how close the chapel really was to the water. mostly this is a bragging picture because, i mean, WOW!

i love you all so much. the letters you send are wonderful. mom, i am not mad in the slightest about the amount of mail. it is just great to get anything. oh, my PPI. President hale is so amazing. He is like Bishop Perkins. He comes out and says what he is thinking, and sometimes it comes out wrong in some opinions, but mostly, it is the right thing to say. he said some really cool things, but my favorite thing was that he told me that he was very glad i came on a mission. he said that he doesn't just say that to anyone, and not to every sister (though he loves and favors the sisters more than anyone else, it's a wide spread rumor that persident favors the sisters, and at zone conference he said, yes i do, now get over it!) but he said that he and i are going to be great friends and that we will get a lot done and that i will be training a lot sooner than i think. ok, president, bring it on.